Paths Crossed
by homesweethomicide13
Summary: What if the paths of Barda and Doom had crossed before? NOT YAOI! Set before the invasion of the Shadow Lord.


**Title: **Paths Crossed  
**Author:** homesweethomicide13  
**Rating:** T  
**Pairing:** None  
**Warning:** None?  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own. Except David. He's mine.  
**Summary:** What if the paths of Barda and Doom had crossed before?

_**Author's Note:**__ I have no idea what age Doom and Barda are now, and the age gap between them, so I'm guessing. Oh, and I created Barda's father, and he was deputy guard. He had a reputation of being a savage fighter, and his nickname was The Savage._

**Paths Crossed**

_He looked around and his heart sank as he saw scar-faced Doom walking towards Barda, holding his card high so that all could see the number 1 upon it._

Neither man would remember, but they had once met before their fight in the Rithmere games. It was before the Shadow Lord invaded, and they both still remained in the palace…

* * *

Jarred ran a hand through his long hair and sighed. Escaping from his bedchamber at night wasn't as fun anymore. At first it had given him thrills, made him feel like a criminal, gave him a rush of adrenaline. But now it was too easy, and too boring. He'd even started making himself obvious in the hope that a palace guard would run after him, or something similar that would give him that rush of energy.

His shoes made an awful clumping sound as he walked along the tiled corridor, and he considered removing them. He decided against it – if anything, the sound would alert one of the night guards and could possibly give him some entertainment. At the young age of twelve, he was finding that the things that used to entertain him in the past were now positively boring. Since he and Endon were constantly learning and studying, he was becoming more agitated. And Endon was never one for thrills and adventures, so his nightly explorations were always done alone.

He turned the corner and realized he had stumbled upon the parts of the palace that held the other children – the sons and daughters of the lords, ladies and servants. He had been here a couple of times before. He had always been curious about those other children – since he was not allowed to be near them except on feast days. He wondered what it would be like to meet one.

As if some higher power and read his mind, a young boy turned into the same corridor not far ahead of him, and stopped dead, fists raised in an instant. Jarred blinked in surprise at the sight of him, and after a moment, the boy's fists lowered and his head cocked to one side, like a confused puppy. He marched over and stood in front of Jarred.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. Jarred was more than a little surprised. Whenever he crossed paths with the servants, they were always humble and polite to him. This boy was neither.

"I… I am on a walk." He responded. The boy frowned, and Jarred took a moment to look him over. He was younger than him, possibly about nine or ten years old, with sparkling ocean blue eyes and unruly jet black hair that hung down to his chin. He was as tall as he was, which surprised him. What surprised him more was the boy's choice of attire. He was dressed in a long white shirt that was laced up the front with ribbon, with a brown leather belt fixed around the middle, and knee-length grey shorts. His feet were bare. There was something in the back of Jarred's mind that saw a familiarity in the boy's face.

"Kind of late to be walking, wouldn't you say?" The boy crossed his arms over his chest, meeting Jarred's green eyes with ease. Jarred had to admit, this boy was tall.

"I was restless. There is nothing to say I cannot take a walk at this time." Jarred replied defiantly.

"It is a rule that young children are not supposed to be out of their beds after dark." The boy shot back. Jarred sneered.

"Maybe for your kind." He lifted his chin proudly. "I am no ordinary child. I am the friend of the prince." If Jarred had expected the boy to drop to his knees and apologize for his ignorance, he was disappointed.

"So?" He shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked at Jarred. "I am a highborn servant child. Status doesn't change anything to that rule." Jarred was slightly annoyed now.

"If that is the case, why are _you_ wandering the palace?" Now the boy's smirk widened into a grin.

"Because I can." He responded. "I can wander the palace and never be caught or found out by any of the guards. I am merely eight years old and I can already outsmart them all." So, Jarred thought with amusement, this boy is eight years old.

"You're tall for an eight-year-old." He spoke his thoughts aloud. The grin didn't fade.

"The tallest." To his surprise, Jarred found himself smiling. "And the strongest. I'm training to be a palace guard, you know. I'm going to be the best guard there's ever been!"

"Really? Well… good luck with that." Jarred was unsure what to say. He'd never come across a servant child before, and he didn't know how to act around one that didn't care about his high status. "What's your name?"

"My name?" His blue eyes glinted darkly. "You've probably heard of me already." Jarred frowned. Why would he have? "They call me _his_ son. The Savage's son." Jarred's eyes widened. He had indeed heard of him. The Savage was the deputy palace guard who had mysteriously disappeared a year ago. He had been known for his savage personality and way of fighting. He terrified anyone who dared to meet his eyes.

And this boy… was his son?

"People never call me by my name." The boy went on in a dark voice. "I hate it. I hate that they can't be bothered to even learn it." Jarred could understand that. At first, people had never called _him_ by his name – he was just the prince's friend.

"I've been there, you know. You have to make a name for yourself." The boy looked up sharply, blue meeting green.

"That's what I plan to do." Now, a smile crossed his face. "I'm going to surpass my father's skills as a guard. He didn't make it past deputy, and one day I will become the chief!" Jarred admired the boy's confidence and determination. He knew it would get him far. He went to reply, but the boy held up a hand. "Shh." He said in a hushed voice. His eyes narrowed and darted from side to side. "Someone's coming – quick!" Before he could register what had happened, the boy had grabbed his arm and was running down the corridor, dragging him along after.

"Where are we going?" He whispered furiously.

"To a place we can hide." He replied. Jarred's eyes widened as the boy ran straight into the wall ahead of him, and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes. It was dark, the only light coming from a spot near what he assumed was the floor.

"Where… where are we?" The hand was still on his arm, so he knew he wasn't alone.

"It's a secret door in the wall. I found it on one of my explorations. It goes back a bit further, enough to fit about three or four of us. You can only find it if you know where it is."

"That's amaz–," The hand left his arm and clamped over his mouth. Footsteps passed by on the other side of the door, followed by voices.

"I'm telling you, I heard something!" One voice said.

"Well there's nothing here. Let's get back to work." The footsteps faded away again and the hand disappeared from Jarred's mouth.

"Guards." The boy sighed. "That was close. My mother would kill me if she knew I was out at night." Jarred lowered his eyes in sadness. He didn't remember his mother, and he barely remembered his father. He'd lost them both when he was too young to know them. And although the king and queen were like his mother and father, he still wished he had his real parents. "Come on, it's clear." Light poured in as the boy opened the secret door and crawled out. Jarred followed, shielding his eyes from the sudden glare. Once they were both out, he swung the door shut and Jarred turned to look at the wall behind him. There was so sign of a door at all. "You should probably return to your bedchamber now."

"I… okay." Jarred didn't argue. It was clear that this boy knew more about nightly explorations than he did. "I guess… I'll see you around…" Even as he said it, Jarred knew he'd never see the boy again. He'd return to his royal duties and rules, and would once more be banned from seeing the other children of the palace.

"Maybe." The boy shrugged. Then he grinned. "Maybe the next time we meet, I'll be at your side in a pale blue uniform, sworn to protect you."

"Yeah, maybe. But be sure to watch your manners to me, boy, or else I'll have to fight you." Jarred laughed, putting on a fake, posh voice he often heard the Lords use.

"Fight me if you will, but you'll never win." He winked playfully and turned to go. "Seeya." Jarred realized that the boy hadn't actually told him his name.

"Hey, wait! What's your name?" He called after him.

"Barda! And you better remember it!" Jarred smiled. Barda. Yes, he would remember the name, and also the boy that accompanied it.

Of course, it wouldn't be until many, many years later when an adult Barda finally told his new friends about his father David, The Savage, that an adult Jarred, now known as Doom, would remember.


End file.
